Understanding the 2026 LAFD Defensible Space/Brush Clearance Notice (Without Overdoing It)
If you’ve received a brush clearance notice this year—especially for the first time—you’re not alone. The rules can feel overwhelming, technical, and in many cases, confusing when applied to real yards. This guide breaks down what the notice is actually asking and what it means for your property.
What This Notice Is (and Isn’t)
This is:
An inspection notice
A set of enforceable requirements
Written for broad application across many property types
This is not:
A customized plan for your yard
A clear explanation of how fire actually spreads in neighborhoods
A distinction between different types of vegetation
What “brush” is NOT
Irrigated landscaping
Maintained shrubs
Garden plantings
Designed native plant landscapes
What “brush” is generally meant to describe
“Brush” refers to vegetation in unmanaged wildland conditions, including:
Dense, continuous vegetation
Native plant communities like chaparral
Non-native, weedy, or invasive growth
Vegetation that is not irrigated and not regularly maintained
Most landscaped don’t actually have “brush”
Where you might find “brush”
Step hillsides and open space
Edges of wildlands
Undeveloped parcels
Hard-to-access areas in residential yards
THE MAILER REQUIREMENTS EXPLAINED
1. Grass and “Native Brush”
What the notice says:
Cut grass to 3 inches
Reduce “native brush” to 3 inches
Shrubs can remain only if spaced 18 feet apart and trimmed up
What to do:
✔ Cut dry grass
✔ Remove dry, unmanaged brush
Where people get into trouble:
The notice does not distinguish between:
unmanaged brush
irrigated landscape plants
Practical guidance:
Focus on dead and dried out vegetation
Avoid applying the 18-foot spacing rule to maintained landscapes
Don’t assume all shrubs need to be removed
2. Tree and Shrub Trimming
What the notice says:
Remove lower branches
Remove all dead material
What to do:
✔ Remove dead branches and dead vegetation
✔ Maintain space where branches contact structures
Where people get into trouble:
Over-pruning
Removing too much canopy
Stripping trees unnecessarily
Practical guidance:
Remove dead material first
Avoid aggressive pruning of live healthy green canopy (no more than 12% of live canopy from mature plants unless necessary)
Maintain healthy tree structure
3. Chimney Clearance
What the notice says:
Keep branches at least 10 feet from chimneys
What to do:
✔ Maintain that clearance as much as you can without harming the tree or shrub
This one is straightforward:
Helps prevent ignition from sparks or embers that come from your chimney. It’s unlikely that sparks or embers from your fireplace would ignite a nearby tree if your tree is groomed, live and green. But embers can travel to ignite dry vegetation on your neighbors property. A mesh screen, generally between 3/8 inch and 1/2, is a must have to stop embers from escaping and entering your house through the flue in a wind-driven fire event.
4. Roofs, Gutters, and Debris
What the notice says:
Remove leaves, needles, and debris
Maintain clearance from overhanging vegetation
What to do:
✔ Keep roofs and gutters clean. Remember, urban fire risk is not determined by the mere presence of plants but things that easily ignite such as dry leaves, pine needles, bark mulch or wood chips, fine twigs, and accumulated debris in corners, gutters, or under decks.
Why this matters:
Dry debris is one of the easiest things to ignite. Healthy green vegetation is not easy to ignite, including overhanging branches and limbs. It’s the leaf litter from hanging vegetation that ignites — not healthy branches.
5. The 200-Foot Rule
What the notice says:
Vegetation management extends up to 200 feet from structures
What to understand:
This does not mean everything within 200 feet is equally hazardous.
Practical guidance:
Prioritize areas closest to your home
Focus on dead material and direct ignition risks
Avoid unnecessary large-scale clearing